


Cowardice

by disastergays



Series: Seabreeze [3]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, M/M, also spoilers - Freeform, hahaha you though this'd be all sunshine and joy?, let Link rest 2k17, nah fam, that aint how this guy rolls, that boy needs it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-17
Updated: 2017-03-17
Packaged: 2018-10-06 09:13:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10331339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disastergays/pseuds/disastergays
Summary: Link fled a battle to save his own skin. Guilt ate him up inside, so he found himself in a place he had come to associate with safety. Even within the walls of Zora's Domian though, Link knows he is nothing but a coward.Sidon disagrees.**Contains spoilers for the Gerudo Divine Beast





	

The warm sun beat down on Link’s black hood. He had left his Champion’s tunic with Impa, she said she’d see to it getting resorted by tonight.

He could see the pity in her eyes and it made his stomach curl, he hated it. The pity, the soothings of ‘oh you’ll get it next time’, the look on the young chief's face when he returned unsuccessful.

Link was a damn _coward._

A tug on his heel drew his attention away from inside himself and out to Pops. He scowled at the wolf, then sighed and looked down at his hands. They were relatively unmarred compared to the rest of him.

Pops chuffed and tugged on Link’s boot again. He sighed and leaned down, flinching at the pressure on his bruises and burns, then ran his hand through his fur.

Even Pops pitied him. He could see it in the wolf’s eyes, a sense of familiar melancholy. Yet, Link felt that he was disappointed in him, he had left people who needed him. Running away to save his own skin like a bastard.

Zora’s Domain was the only place that sold ice arrows, Link justified to himself. Really though, it was the only place that felt safe. A place of comfort he could hide until his conscious got the better of him and forced him back into battle.

He’d go back tonight for sure, consequences be damned. If he died in battle, then so be it. Link glared at his hands, if anything it’d be a relief.

_No, it wouldn't._

Link knew better, if he died then Calamity Ganon would be free to destroy everything in it’s path. Yunobo, Teba, his wife and child, Riju, Sidon… They’d all surely perish. He’d have to live, if nothing else then for their sake.

But that… _Thing…_ It killed Urbosa, easily the most skilled of them, how did he have any hope of defeating it?

He pressed his forehead into the back of Achak’s neck. He remained like that until he felt the horse stop and crane his neck around, pulling at tunic Impa had given him in place of his blue one.

“Yes, youre right. I know.” Link rubbed Achak’s head and under his chin. He leaned back and grabbed an apple from his designated apple bag, then offered it to the horse, who took it immediately.

Link spurred Achak into action again, they were almost there. He just needed arrows.

 

* * *

 

Even in the middle of the day, Zora’s Domain just glowed. It was beautiful.

With a grunt, Link heaved himself off of Achak’s back, rubbing his steed’s shoulder before leaving him there to enter the Domain itself. Pops already had sprawled out on his favorite rock further down the trail.

He was a bit surprised when neither of the guards asked about his journey, though he then realized since his hood was up and he was so much shorter than them both, they probably didn't recognize him.

Though as Link walked past them and to the shop on the right of Mipha’s statue, he wondered how safe letting him pass without any inquires of who was. Though they could have also seen Achak and knew it was him, most travelers did not bring horses here according to Sidon.

Speaking of the Prince, as Link walked into the shop, he found none other than Sidon himself there.

Well, not in the shop itself, but rather the armory that laid further in. He was talking to the blacksmith there, so Link didn't bother him.

He grabbed all the arrows the merchant had in stock, buying them and immediately stuffing them into his quivers.

Link couldn't decide if he should just leave or greet Sidon, so he meandered back in the meantime, looking at the new weapons they were creating. There were quite a lot, Link wondered if they were planning on having a surplus of warriors soon.

“How many apprentices do you believe you could train?” Link glanced over his shoulder when Sidon spoke, his voice was even and professional. Deeper than his usual voice, which had a nice sort of dreamy tone.

This must be the voice he uses when doing his duties as a Prince.

The blacksmith grunted, handing a spear off to Sidon. The Prince looked over the weapon, inspecting it critically, then nodding in what Link guessed was satisfaction.

“Two. I’ve already trained one, they can take on an apprentice or two as well, if you are that short, my Prince.”

Sidon was silent for a moment, then responded, “No. Four should be enough, especially if they have craftmanship on par with yours.”

“You are too kind, my Prince.”

Sidon returned the spear, and walked out, looking down at a scroll as he did. Link debated on going after him, but it was obvious he was busy. Link decided he should just leave. Probably for the best too, if Link was back Sidon would expect him to talk about his victory. Link didn't have the stomach to deal with his disappointment.

What would be the point only having more arrows? Now that he thought about it. Sure, he’d have more to spare, but what good would it do if he couldn't hit the damn thing?

Perhaps some target practice would do him good. There had to be some sort of training area for the guards, perhaps he could practice there for a while.

Link made his way back to a guard who stood at the entrance with his daughter.

“Hello.”

The guard jumped a bit, and looked down at Link, it took a moment, but he brightened up rather fast, “Champion! Hello, it's great to see you. I didn't recognize you with that hood up, so used to seeing your hair.”

His daughter scoffed, well at least there was someone who recognised him. Though to be fair she was a head shorter than her father, so she’d naturally have a lower vision of sight. Maybe that was why Sidon didn't pay him any mind.

The guard ignored his daughter and leaned on his spear, “So what do you need?”

“Do you have a training area?”

He tilted his head, “You mean the provings arena?”

At Link’s blank stare, his daughter spoke up, “It's where we guards go to train and prove our mettle in battle.”

That sounded exactly like what Link was looking for. He nodded, and she spoke again, “It's northwest of here, though you’ll need to get the Prince’s permission, he is our General after all.” Her smile turned a bit smug, “I don't think you’ll have any issue.”

Link had a feeling _that_ was directed at the amulet, though he chose to ignore it for the time being. Instead, he thanked her and headed back towards the market, hoping Sidon would still be there. He didn't want to have to try and hunt him down.

He could probably find the arena and sneak in, he doubted Sidon would actually care that much.

His conscious dictated he got proper permission anyhow… Even if he didn't want to.

The last he saw Sidon was when he first left to try and calm Vah Naboris, Sidon would undoubtedly see him and expect him to have completed his task. Link wasn't sure if he was ready to see disappointment in his eyes, or worse, pity.

He’d try to hide it, of course, Sidon was a good man and would never openly think down on someone. Still, the thought would pass through his mind, and the idea of that did not sit well in Link at all.

Sidon was still in the area, this time making idle talk with a Zora guard. Link flipped his hood down and stood quietly to the side, waiting for Sidon to finish talking to the guard about whatever they were discussing.

The guard noticed him, and ducked out of the conversation, to Sidon’s confusion and Link’s mild frustration.

It took only a moment for Sidon to realize he was there, and as usual was greeting with excitement, “Link! You're back! It is so good to see you again my friend, you’ll have to tell me about your vic-”

“Can I use the proving arena?” Link felt a bit bad about cutting Sidon off, though the Prince thankfully just rolled with it.

“Of course! I don't think there’d be anyone training now, so I’ll take you to it.” He took a glance at the sky, followed by his cheerful expression falling to confusion.

Shame prickled across Link’s skin. He looked anywhere but at the Prince, Link didnt want to see Sidon’s polite disappointment in him.

“Link-”

“So, proving arenas, heard they’re pretty neat.”

“Link are yo-”

“ _Please?”_ Link didn't beg, but he’d get on his damn knees for him to just drop the subject.

Sidon was silent for a beat, then sighed, “Yeah, come on. I’ll walk you there.”

As they walked out of Zora’s Domain, stopping briefly to collect Achak and Pops, Link couldn't decide if he was thankful for the silence or not. Sidon usually was fairly easy to read, yet now, he didn't express anything.

Was he angry at Link? Disappointed? He wanted to shake the Prince and tell him to do something, call him a dirty coward, he didn't _care._ This closed off silence was starting to drive him mad.

The entire walk had been done in silence.

When they arrived at the provings arena, Link found it was not quite as big as he had expected. It was little more than a sand patch protected between three steep hills and a wooden barricade to keep others out.

Sidon closed the tall gate once everyone was inside, though was still oddly silent.

At this point Link just took Sidon’s silence as disappointment, and moved on. He didn't have time to get all worked up about his friend finding him weak, he needed to focus on getting stronger so he could protect Hyrule.

He unclipped his cloak and draped it over Achak’s back, rolled up the already pretty short sleeves of his tunic and pulled his bow out.

Link pointedly ignored Sidon’s gasp. He knew what he looked like, and he knew it was not pretty. Turns out being struck by lightning left quite the mark. Let alone getting struck _twice._

Even as Link heard Sidon approach, he continued to ignore him, instead focusing on doing a few practise draws of the string, ignoring stabs of pain from the movement. He needed to get his arms warmed up before he actually started shooting arrows.

Once he was satisfied with how loose his arms were, despite the pain, he pulled an arrow out of his quiver and shot it at one of the many training dummies. The arrow flew and struck right between the painted eyes.

It wasn't until Sidon loomed over him enough to block the sun that Link decided to acknowledge him. He lowered the bow and looked up, scowling at Sidon’s expression.

“What… What happened?” Sidon inquired, his words clearly carefully picked.

Link looked back at another dummy and shot that one, relieving a bit of building frustration in his gut.

“I failed the Gerudo people. I tried to fight that thing controlling Vah Naboris and failed. I ran away like a coward to save my own damn skin.” He bit out, drawing the bow back again and firing it, this time completely missing the dummy. Link had to stop and take a breath, he was getting too worked up.

“Sorry.” His shortcomings were not Sidon’s fault, he didn't deserve to be snapped at.

Link could feel Sidon hover behind him for a bit, then when the sun returned, he knew Sidon had left.

With a quick check over his shoulder, he found that Sidon had sat down in one of the benches that were lined along the right half of the circular arena. Sidon offered some sort of meat to Pops, who snorted and turned away from him, to the Zora’s obvious dismay.

He couldn't decide if he was relieved or disappointed that Sidon gave him space. On one hand, he was glad for the chance to just focus on what he needed to do, yet on the other, he wouldn't turn down some words of encouragement, or _something._

Link shook himself of the thoughts, he was being absurd. People’s lives were at stake, he didn't have the luxury of emotion now. He could be upset when Calamity Ganon was dead.

Just standing still wouldn't do anything, he could hit anything standing still. So he tried various ways to make it harder for himself, jumping off things, running, riding Achak, most arrows hit bullseye. Each one that didn’t, marked Link’s death. He shuddered.

Back to standing and firing again. Link tried to fire as many arrows as humanly possible under a few moments. Even if he missed one, then perhaps he he drew fast enough, he could hit with the second. The creature was too fast for that, he knew, if his arrow didn't hit true the first time, he’d be nothing more than a bloodied smear in Naboris’ belly.

A hand rested on his shoulder, sharp jolts of pain shooting down his spine and arm. He dropped the bow, receding in on himself just as the hand left his body. Sidon was still here, right. Link had forgotten his presence, he had been so silent.

Link turned and held up his hands to reassure Sidon, but the words died on his throat. His yellow eyes were narrowed dangerously, and he looked _furious._

“How bad are your injuries?” He was using his ‘Prince’ voice, drawing a flinch out of Link.

When Link did not respond, Sidon crossed his arms and _glared_ at Link. Had Link not believed it was possible for Sidon to be terrifying before, he certainly believed it now. Using his size to his advantage, Sidon towered over Link. His eyes slitted and mouth opened in a frown just enough to see the glint of his teeth. Link half expected him to start snarling or something.

Still, the Prince was hard pressed to try and actually intimidate Link into speaking, after getting to know him, a lot of the initial fear wore off pretty quick.

Sidon sighed and kneeled down in front of Link, obviously giving up on trying to scare a response out of him, “Can… Can I see?”

A part of Link wanted to be petty and refuse. He didn’t, and unbuckled the belt around his waist. He let it drop into the sand and rolled up his tunic, revealing the extent of the damage he had taken to the Prince.

Sidon probably didn't expect to see what he did, and covered his mouth, looking an unfortunate shade of green.

Jagged spiderwebs of burnt skin covered his chest and back, where he had been struck by the lightning itself. The rest of his body was an off-yellow or blue, deep bruising formed from him going flying, or from the electric strike, Link wasn't sure. Maybe both.

Paya had given him stiches on his side, where a segment of the blade that creature wielded nicked his skin.

Deciding to spare Sidon the sight any longer, he rolled his tunic back down. He crouched and grabbed his belt, glancing up at Sidon when he spoke in a quiet tone, “How did that happen?”

“Lightning. That creature could command it, somehow.”

“That - You need to see a healer right away, Link. Those injuries, who knows what sort of internal damage they caused.” Sidon stood and immediately headed to the door, with the very clear intent of dragging him to see the Zora healers.

“I _can’t,_ Sidon.”

Sidon stared at him, half scowling, and half actually listening.

“I don't know how long the terminals will be freed of corruption. I can't stay long enough to get healed.” He slipped his belt back on, “If they are corrupted once more I do not know if I’ll get them back.”

After a heavy moment’s pause, Sidon sighed and removed his hand from the door. He returned to the bench and sat back down. It was clear the Prince was unhappy with his decision, but it wasn't his to make. It was hardly Link’s, in the end.

Back to arrows.

Link let out an even breath, distancing himself from his emotions and grievances, it was only the bow, and the dummies.

He had no idea how long he had been out there, focusing only on his targets and killing them quickly and perfectly. Occasionally he’d stop and pick the arrows back up again, but most of his time was spent filling the fake enemies with holes.

An enormous hand covered his own, it was gentle and warm, familiar. Enough to draw him out of his battle stupor.

He looked up, meeting Sidon’s vaguely glowing eyes. Maybe they weren't glowing, just reflecting light from the moon high in the sky. Link couldn't tell.

When did it get so late?

“Link you need to rest.”

Link snorted and shrugged off the hand, drawing the bow back once more. Before he even got to release the string, the bow was taken directly from his hands. It took a moment, but Link bounced back from his surprise and immediately reached for the bow, _Revali’s_ bow.

With his free hand, Sidon grabbed the arm reaching for the bow. He slid his hand down to Link’s own, and turned it over, showing Link his palm. His eyes flicked down, noticing how rubbed raw it was, he didn't doubt the other was the same. Spots of blood dotted his fingertips, were the skin had been rubbed so thin it began to bleed.

Still, it was a little thing, nothing worth writing home over. So he reached up again, trying to get the bow back.

“Link _stop._ ” Sidon’s voice wavered, and Link froze, “This - what you're doing, it's too much. Stop punishing yourself.”

Link stared at him, unsure how to react. He wasn't punishing himself, he was training. Surely even Sidon could see that. Sure, he hurt, but it was nothing compared to the hurt people would feel if he failed again.

Still, he relented and stopped reaching for the bow. When he did, Sidon returned the weapon. “You need rest, or at least some healing.”

“No.” He looked down at the bow, “They don't need to know I’ve failed.”

Sidon made a noise that Link presumed was frustration. After a moment, the Prince grunted, “Fine. Stay here, I’ll be back. Please don't do anymore of your ‘practice’.”

Link nodded, and watched him trot out. After a moment, Link deflated. He had half a mind to just continue to practice, but Sidon was clearly upset, he didn't want to stir the pot any further. Instead, he wandered over to Achak and tied the bow down gingerly with his other weapons.

Even without and grass to graze on, his horse had been silently standing off to the edge of the arena. Link groaned and pressed his face into his neck. Achak grunted at the sudden weight, but did not move.

No matter what stupid thing he did, or how many times he failed, Achak never looked at him different. As much as he loved Pops, even the wolf would look upon him in disappointment from time to time. The horse’s silent support and companionship was a breath of fresh air, especially as his fuck ups became more and more severe. This one certainly topping the list by quite the margin.

Link ran his hand over Achak’s crest, letting the coarse hair slip between his fingertips. Achak snorted at the action and craned his neck around, attempting to butt his head against Link, with little success. Link laughed, and released him. With a touch of digging, he found his apple bag and offered one to his companion, who grabbed it from him immediately.

Pops was fast asleep on the bench. The old wolf always looked so tired, Link was glad he was getting some rest. Link wondered what he dreamed about. Did wolves even dream? Though, Pops was certainly no normal wolf, so who's to say _he_ couldn't?

He hadn't eaten anything since this morning, his stomach reminded him angrily. Link pulled out an apple for himself and took a bite. Where did Sidon go anyway? If he brought the healers down here to him, Link would leave.

He wouldn't. But he’d want to.

Link trusted Sidon, if he did bring someone down, it would be a healer he trusted. Still. No doubt they’d talk about the Champion’s cowardice to their friends behind Sidon’s back. The whole Domain would be in a buzz.

He could hear it now; _‘The Champion, running from a battle, what a_ **_coward_ ** _. No wonder the other Champions died, he probably ran when they needed him too.’_

Link didn't feel like eating anymore. He handed the remainder of his apple to Achak, who took it with no complaints.

Thankfully, it didn't take much longer for Sidon to return. Alone, to Link’s mild surprise.

His eyes followed the enormous Zora as he carried a bag over to the benches and set it down with a clatter.

 _What is in that thing?_ Link wondered, but didn't move from Achak’s side until Sidon actually beckoned him over with a wave of his hand.

The bench was weird, Link realized as he sat down on it. It wasn't regular wood, no where near as firm as he had expected. It had more of a give to it, Link wondered if it was a kind of wood only found around here, where it rained so much. Or if it even _was_ wood.

“Can you take off your tunic for me?” Sidon requested, digging vials and a thick book out of the bag he had brought.

Link unbuckled his belt and carefully rolled the red tunic over his head, the bruises near his neck and the ones on his shoulder pressed firmly together. It hurt a lot, but Link powered through it and dropped the tunic on the sand beside him unceremoniously. He crossed his legs and faced Sidon in full, who had to straddle the bench due to his size.

“Since you won't see a healer, I’ll do what I can to help.” Sidon set some bandages in his lap and tucked the bag behind him. “Come a little closer.”

Warmth blossomed from Link’s chest as he scooted himself so he was seated between Sidon’s legs. He pointedly ignored it, he _especially_ ignored the soft smile Sidon was giving him.

Sidon opens up the book and props it up on one leg, so he hcould look down at it as he worked.  His brows furrowed a bit, and he flipped through the pages. When he found what he was looking for, Sidon looked back to Link, he frowned.

“You’d be hard pressed to hurt me more than I’ve already been.” Link assured, picking up on his nervous behavior.

Sidon snorted a laugh, and like that, the tension eased from his brows and shoulders. It bothered Link when Sidon was stressed.

The Prince held out his hand, “hands first, I think.”

Link obliged and placed his hands in Sidon’s open palm, both of them easily fitting.

Gingerly, Sidon took a hold of them, and with his other hand he popped open a vial of purple liquid. He carefully dabbed the gel on his fingers, then used them to massage into Link’s hands. The gel stung, but Link kept still. It didn't help that his skin (scales?) felt surprisingly sharp when rubbed the wrong way.

Every move Sidon made was carefully dictated even still, like if he sneezed Link would break. He rolled his eyes at his hesitance, but didn't comment on it. The poor Prince was nervous as it was, Link didnt want to poke fun at him when he was already wired.

When the gel was rubbed in enough to Sidon’s satisfaction, he carefully wrapped his hands up.

“You can remove the bandages in a bit.” Sidon assured, probably seeing the look of dread Link gave as he started.

When Link’s hands were successfully bandaged, the Prince pulled out another vial, this one more red in color, but still had a blue sheen to it when turned the right way. Link wondered what these were made of.

Sidon flipped through the book a bit more. After a couple minutes, Sidon apparently found what he was looking for and opened the vial. This was like the gel that was applied to his hands, though looked just a touch thicker.

The prince scooted himself closer, Link had to crane his neck all the way back to even see his face. This man was _all_ torso.

“This’ll sting.” Sidon warned, and made sure his fingers were lathered before holding Link’s wrist with one hand, and smoothing the gel over the blackened burn with his other.

Instinctively, Link jerked back, away from the violent burning assaulting his skin. Had Sidon not held Link’s arm, he probably would have fallen off the bench. He returned to the position he was in before, so Sidon could continue, “Sorry, I’ll try and be quick.”

Link nodded and remained as still as he could manage for Sidon while he lathered up his burns. After his chest was finished Sidon had him lean forward a bit and then did his back. It was as if Sidon was applying lava to already sensitive enough skin. Though it would help, Link knew, so he gritted his teeth and kept his flinching to a minimum.

Sidon pulled back and released Link’s wrist, signaling him to sit back up and relax a bit.  He watched Sidon as he wiped his hand off on his thigh, then paged through the book again.

While he was occupied, Link took the chance to do a once-over of the area. It was the middle of the night, the moon illuminated the provings arena in a gentle white glow. Achak was where Link had left him, dozing off.

Link had to lean back a bit to see Pops curled up on the end of the bench. He appeared to still be asleep, but Link knew since the moment Sidon walked in, he has been awake and aware. Both ears were pricked and trained in their direction. Link pursed his lips, he wondered what Pops had against Sidon. He really didn't seem to like him much.

“Alright, last thing.” Sidon pulled out a blue jar and carefully dripped some of the oil onto his hands.

He glanced at the book, then back to Link. Cautious, Sidon started from Link’s arms and slowly worked in the oil. He had expected it to sting, but instead it was actually quite soothing, hot, yet cold at the same time. Link could feel goosebumps forming from the sensation.

“Are you alright?”

Link blinked and looked up at Sidon, his face was way too close. Link cleared his throat nervously, “I’m fine. Hylian skin just does that sometimes, no cause for alarm.”

Sidon’s eyes narrowed at him briefly, but he nodded and continued. It was actually really relaxing, for the most part. The close proximity to Sidon forced his stomach to perform acrobatics, and the occasional nick of pain when Sidon pressed too hard or his skin brushed him the wrong way, but overall, Link was actually quite enjoying this.

Enough so that he didn't even notice it finished until Sidon shut the book with a firm clap. “There.”

Link felt slimy now, a vaguely unpleasant sensation that definitely called for a bath. Not that he’d have the time for one.

Like that, the mood was dashed. Here he was, being pampered by a Prince, while people could be _dying_ in Gerudo Village. No, Sidon was trying to help him. It’d be ungrateful to think of it as mere pampering.

Sidon stuffed the jars and vials back into the bag, with the book. When he finished, Link grabbed the hand closest to him, and craned his neck back to look up at the surprised Prince, “Thank you.”

He stared at Link for a moment, mouth slightly agape, then absolutely beamed. “It was no trouble Link.”

Sidon grabbed Link’s hands in return, completely engulfing them within his own, “I would never let a friend suffer needlessly. You should never have to be in so much pain, next time tell me.”

“Pain comes with the territory.” Link chuckled dryly, earning him a stern glare from Sidon, “Sorry.”

Sidon smiled softly and shook his head, releasing Link’s hands. They sat in silent camaraderie for some time, though after a while, Sidon broke the silence as usual. “Do you want to sit in the hot springs? I've read that soaking is actually incredibly beneficial to a Hylian’s health.”

“How’d _you_ know that?”

The Prince snorted, “Please, you give me no credit. Knowing about the people you intend to trade with is incredibly beneficial, especially if you cater to their needs. Spears are useless to the Rito people, most of their combat is done in the air. We are able to build stronger bows for them to use. The Gerudo people don't have access to the plant life or fish that we do, due to living in a desert. The Goron people cannot grow anything in the volcano, and rely solely on outside sources for spice and cloth, in return for the ore they mine.”

Link let out a low whistle, thoroughly impressed. Though when he thought about it, of course Sidon would know these things. He was a Prince, an excellent one at that. He’ll be an incredible King, Link was sure.

Still, he had no more time for frivolous desires. “I cannot stay any longer.”

Careful not to upset the salve on his skin, Link worked back into his tunic, strapping the belt back on and making sure the Sheikah Slate was still attached. It was, and Link pulled it out, opening up the camera and snapping a picture of Sidon when he was closing the bag.

Sidon looked back at him when the camera snapped, and smiled softly. “Really?”

Link shrugged and put it back on his hip.

It didn't take long for Link to get everything together, making sure all his weapons were there, with his bow and arrows. He needed to stop by Kakariko Village to see Impa about his actual tunic, then he’d be off to Gerudo Desert once more. He and Vah Naboris had a score to settle.

“Really leaving already then?”

Link nodded, not turning to face sidon immediately, instead tightening the strap on one of the saddlebags on Achak’s flank.“I couldn't stay any longer, even if I wanted to.”

To his surprise, a warm hand rested on his head. Link turned to look at Sidon, who then moved from his head and grabbed both of Link’s hands in his own.

Sidon had to bend over in a position Link doubted was comfortable, in order to meet his eyes.

“You were smart to retreat and regroup, not cowardly.”

Link scoffed and went to pull away, but Sidon’s hands were strong.

“You are the bravest and most incredible man I have ever met.” Sidon swallowed and tightened his grip on Link, “Don't you dare for even a _second_ think you are a coward.”

Link didn't doubt his gawking was obvious. Warmth spread through his cheeks, and well, his entire body. Butterflies froliced in his stomach, but as with the many times he has experienced such a sensation around Sidon, it was promptly squashed down and ignored.

After clearing his throat, Sidon released Link’s hands, allowing him to mount Achak once more.

Sidon’s face was laced with worry, so Link gave the most confident grin he could muster, “I’ll be safe, promise.”

The Prince laughed and patted Link’s arm, “Thank you.”

Sidon pushed open the door and Link rode out, Pops already trotting closely behind him and Achak. Link glanced over his shoulder, seeing Sidon give him a thumbs up strengthened his resolve. He’d obliterate that damn creature and save Urbosa, Vah Naboris and the Gerudo people. That little chief had enough on her hands, she didn't deserve to worry about an ancient machine killing her people.

 

* * *

 

“I see your visit to Zora’s Domain went well.”

Link couldn't tell if he was surprised by this anymore. He tugged his familiar blue tunic back on with a huff.

“You have the fire back in your eyes, I was worried about you for a moment there, Link.” Impa leaned to the side a bit, raising a brow as Link shot her a look over his shoulder.

She chuckled, and gestured for him to come closer with a wave of her boney fingers. “Now, boy, defeat Vah Naboris’s blight. Then, you will be ready to take back what is rightfully yours.”

At Link’s tilted head she smiled and grabbed his bare hand, he had ripped the bandages off on the ride here.

“The Master Sword.”

**Author's Note:**

> alt title: Give Link a diddly-dang break
> 
> Heck.
> 
> 100% based off my own rage at trying to fight Thunderblight Ganon.  
> He was the worst, my ass got BEAT
> 
> Anyway, hope you all liked it!!


End file.
